David Rousseau, David Smith named Collins Fellows

ALBANY, N.Y. (May 16, 2024) — David Rousseau, associate professor in the Department of Political Science, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, and David Smith, professor and chair of the Department of Finance in the Massry School of Business, have been named Collins Fellows for 2024.

The award, now in its 38th year, recognizes teaching faculty who have shown extraordinary devotion to the University over a sustained period of time. 

David Rousseau

Rousseau has been at the University at Albany since 2005. He became director of graduate studies in the Department of Political Science and was named department chair in 2008. Three years later he became interim dean of Rockefeller College, and was named dean in 2013. When the new College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity was being formed, Rousseau took the helm as interim dean, a role he held from 2015 to 2017. 

Rousseau has also served the University as the faculty athletic representative, a member of the Provost's Going Forward Plan Committee, the University Budget Advisory Group, the Applied Learning Committee, the Public Engagement Council and the Advisory Board for the Institute of Advanced Data Analysis. 

David Smith 

Smith came to the University in 1989 as an assistant professor of finance and became a full professor in 2017. Since 2022 he has been chair of the department, and since 2008 has been director of the Center of Institutional Investment Management.

Service to the University through work on boards, councils, committees and task forces has been a constant for Smith. As chair of the Intercollegiate Athletics Advisory Board, he played a pivotal role in ensuring the equitable treatment of student-athletes and the Division of Athletics adherence to NCAA regulations and SUNY system guidelines. He was founding director of the Financial Analyst Honors Program and founding faculty co-advisor for the School of Business Investment Group. He has been a member of the Honors College Governing Board, the Purple & Gold Student Ambassador Advisory Committee, and the Torch Award Selection Committee. Smith also served as a member of the Student-Athlete Admission Appeals Committee, the NYS Business Plan Competition Organizing Committee and the Campus Climate Committee. 

Collins Fellowships

Named after Evan Revere Collins, who served as president from 1949-1969 and oversaw the institution’s transition from a college to a university, the Collins Fellowship is bestowed on “exemplars of the highest levels of institutional commitment and service.” Members of the teaching faculty nominate colleagues and provide supporting letters from administrators, staff and, occasionally, students. Each nomination package describes the candidate’s activities that illustrate “extraordinary devotion” to the University, including service to the department, the college or school, and the University, and eligible nominees must have worked actively at the University for at least 10 years.

Collins Fellows receive a salary increment and a distinctive medallion typically bestowed at the undergraduate commencement ceremony. They also meet annually or semi-annually with the University president to discuss important directions being taken by the institution. Portraits of Collins Fellows are displayed in the University Library.